South Of The Border

Album: No. 6 Collaborations Project (2019)
Charted: 4 49
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Ed Sheeran sings about a girl with brown eyes and caramel thighs who has caught his attention.

    Jump in that water, be free
    Come south of the border with me


    Sheeran is pleading with the Latino woman to leave the United States and go on a trip with him.
  • Sheeran is joined on the song by Camila Cabello and Cardi B, who both have Latin American heritage. Cabello responds to the English star's entreaties, proclaiming, "Suddenly, I'm glad I came." She also advances the narrative by crooning a couple of lines in Spanish. They translate as:

    Come here, I wanna dance, take my hand
    I wanna feel your body on me, you're trembling


    Cardi, meanwhile, calls out Sheeran's motives during her verse:

    You want the lips and the curves, need the whips and the furs
    And the diamonds I prefer, in my closet, his and hers
  • The song is the first released collaboration between any of the featured artists, but Cabello did work on a song with Sheeran in 2018 titled "The Boy," which had yet to see the light of day when No.6 Collaborations Project was dropped.
  • The action-packed video features Sheeran as Teddy Fingers and Cabello as The Mariposa conspiring to take down a couple of agents who robbed them. Cardi B plays herself; we see her rapping her verse despite being kidnapped and tied up. Also involved in the Jason Koenig-directed clip are model Alexis Ren as Scarlet Jones and actor/dancer Paul Karmiryan as Agent X.

    Koenig has previously worked with Sheeran on his visuals for "Shape Of You," "Perfect" and "Galway Girl."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Women Who Rock

Women Who RockSong Writing

Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.

Jay, Peaches, Spinderella and other Darrining Victims

Jay, Peaches, Spinderella and other Darrining VictimsSong Writing

Just like Darrin was replaced on Bewitched, groups have swapped out original members, hoping we wouldn't notice.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.